In Elementary‘s upcoming fifth season, True Blood vet Nelsan Ellis debuts as Shinwell Johnson, a character created by Sherlock author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his 1924 short story, “The Illustrious Client.” Ellis’ modern take on the ex-criminal — as glimpsed in the exclusive image above — finds the character attempting to get his life back in track after a lengthy prison stint on drug charges.

The CBS drama’s Season 5 premiere on Sunday, Oct. 2 (10/9c, CBS) finds Shinwell leveraging his illicit connections to help old acquaintance Watson (Lucy Liu) solve a murder. The info presumably checks out, because she convinces Holmes to put Shinwell on the proverbial payroll (Ellis is slated to appear in at least three episodes).

The Elementary arc marks Ellis’ most high-profile TV stint since wrapping his seven-season run on True Blood two years ago.